What I am learning from living in a 1940’s home…

We recently moved from our 2nd floor apartment to a 1940’s bungalow. I imagine it was built in the post-war era when the world was putting itself back together and trying to find normal again. Sometimes I sit on the porch sipping sweet tea and try to imagine what it was like back then. I plan to start doing more of this now that the temperatures have dipped and hopefully the mosquitos are gone. (We’ve had a bit of a stand-off as to whose porch it actually is.)

Living in this house has its charms and challenges.

I am also currently having a bit of a stand-off with a mouse, which makes me a bit nauseous. He/she ate an entire roll the other night. Don’t come between me and my carbs man. Now the trap is set, but it seems to be playing Houdini. This aspect is not so charming…

Then there’s the original wood floors, natural light, and arched doorways that make me swoon. Oh and the way the trees hold hands over the road. The girls and I love our daily walks under their big canopies.

I’ve noticed some things about the new neighborhood that make me ponder the olden days. One is that our main living space is on the front of the house. I feel like more recent homes put the living spaces in the back. Another thing is that the front yards are bigger than the back. I feel like this represents how things have changed when it comes to community and neighborhoods. Back then community and neighborhood were interchangeable. Your neighbors were your people and your people were your neighbors. Your social life would largely take place out in front of your home. Community didn’t have to compete with cell phones. People sat on porches and talked to their neighbors. Kids chased fireflies and I imagine the lines between yards blurred at times.

So living in this house reminds me that life is meant to be lived with people. Blinds are made to be opened. Porches are for sitting. Homes are meant to be shared. And even though it looks different in this decade (what do you call this? The 10’s?) I think we can still open our hearts and our homes and share our lives with the people around us.